Multidrive gear box for accessories on board aircraft



Nov. 23, 1948. c. R. WASEIGE MULTIDRIVE GEAR BOX FOR ACCESSORIES ON BOARD AIRCRAFT I Filed May 27, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 v FIG.

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MULTIDRIVE GEAR 30X FOR ACCESSORIES ON BOARD AIRCRAFT Filed May 27, 1942 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 lOl 97 FIG. 9' I00 98 99 4 FIG. 8 r

c. R. WASEIGE,

' Q Af/orngd Nov. 23, 1948. c. R. WASEIGE 2,454,293

muurmnrvs GEAR Box FOR ACCESSORIES on BOARD AIRCRAFT Filed May 27, 1942 3 Sheets-Shut 3 a. a I x f w I I FIG 4 w 4s u h 49 3M C.R.W 55 ASEIGE,

' QQM 716M 56 6-3 6 A Home! Patented Nov. 23, 1948 v A 1 UNITED s'm'rizs PATENTdOFFi-CE M ULTIDRIVE GEAR BOX FOR ACCESSORIES ON BOARD AIRCRAFT Charles Raymond Waseige, Saint-Etienne (Loire), France; vested in the Attorney Generl of the United States Application May 27, 1942, Serial No. 444,734 In France April 8, 1941 s 7 Claims. (01. 74 389) vThe present invention has for its object to immultiplying or reducing gear, the latter is prefprove the multi-drive gear boxes recently used for erably contained in a compartment of the casing. driving auxiliary devices or "accessories" orrboard Another feature consists in that the gear-box aircraft. f r is provided with a reversing gear, which may be With the gear boxes as hitherto used, it often ii formed either as a removable unit adapted to be happens that the engine power take-off, from 1 applied upon the box casing, or as a permanent which said boxes are driven,- does not rotate at part of the gear box, being then provided with the speed at which the electric generator, which is two couplings one or the other of which may be .mounted on the gear box casing and driven by used. J

means of a pair of conical toothed wheels, late 10 In a convenient embodiment of a multiplying,-

rotate. I reducing or reversing gear, which is more par- On the other hand, .a multi-engined aircraft ti'cularly advantageous in that the overall Jength is preferably provided with engines rotating in may be reduced, the whole of the multiplying, re-

opposite directions. The manufacturer of accesducing or reversing gear is carried by a floating series is thus compelled to build two types of eleccasing centered between the engine and the box tric generators, this resulting in complications for on the cardan driving shaft and held against rothe users with regard to maintenance, spare parts, 49 by a WD 11 e b0! 11 8- etc. Still a further feature consists in that the Besidea'on engines having a very reduced starter is secured on the box casing and that a transverse bulk not onl is there no space for gearing e ied n the gear box connects said mounting the various accessories which are to starter with the driving shaft, the latter thus supply the various needs on board, but it becomes serving also for starting the engine. diflicult to lodge even a starter. When the gear box cannot be arranged in align- It may also happen that the available space ment with the power take-oi! of the en in t does not permit of mounting the standard gear measure adopted "consists in that the shaft which box fora given engine in alignment with the enis to be actuated by the shaft coming from the gine power take-on. engine is an intermediate counter-shaft carried The invention aims at doing awaywith these by an angularly adjustable casing carried so as to various drawbacks and has for its subject-matter be capable of being turned around the sliaft ena plurality of features which may be used totering into the box casing for driv the mgether or separately, depending upon the parmission elements of said box and of being fixedly ticular cases. held in any one of a plurality of'possible posi- One of these features consists in that the gear 1 118- V box comprises a, speed multiplying or reducing It is more particularly advantageous that the gear between the driving shaft and the electric various aforesaid devices, 1. e. the reversing, mulgenerator, said multiplying speed gear consisting tiplying or reducing gear, the angularly adjustpreferably of a planets-carrier driven by the drivable gear box, etc... comprise casings all adapted ing shaft and whose planet pinions,- which are to be mounted upon the same opening of the gear conical and have their axis inclined to the verbox. 7

tical, roll on two sun wheels of different diameters, 40 Lastly, in. some cases, namely on multi-engined the largest of which is secured to the box casing aircraft, the gear box is associated'with an own,

and the other keyed on a shaft driving the elecauxiliary engine by which it is driven to provide tric generator, or the reverse. for various needs. i

In L convenient embodiment of the aforesaid Particular embodiments of the above-menarrangement, the planets-carrier is provided with tioned features are illustrated as nonlimitative a Journal supported in bearings of the box casing examples on the annexed drawings, in which: and through which extends the driving shaft com- Fig. 1 shows a speed multiplying gear for an ing from the engine, the inside of said carrier accessories driving gearbox;

being formed as' a spherical bearing socket in Fig. 2, a removable reversing gear for an acwhich is mounted a hollow joint ball rotativeiy cessories driving gear box connected in a floating manner on the one hand Fig. 2A, a removable reversing and multiplying with the planets-carrier by means of outer splines gear for an accessories driving gear box;

and. on the other hand, with the said shaftby Fig. 3, a reversing gear forming an integral means of inner splines. part of an accessories driving gear box;

Whatever may be the construction of the speed til Fig. 4, a floating reversing gear;

Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively front and side views showing schematically a gear box provided with a displaceable countershaft;

Fig. '7 is a section on the line VII-VII of Fig. 5, at a larger scale;

Fig. 8 is a similar view to Fig. 7, but shows an ordinary casing interchangeable with an angularly adjustable casing;

modification of the connection between the engine and the gear box when the latter is additionally. provided with a floating reversing gear.

' In the exemplary embodiment of Fig. 1, there is shown only the casing I of the gear box used for driving accessories, which gear box may be of any known type, Casing I is 'provided with openings 2, 2a and 2b of the same size and shape, said openings 2a and 2b being adapted to accommodate standard detachable accessory casings A1 and A: respectively, each of which has a driven shaft 9a projecting .therefrom. Fixedly secured on the projecting ends of shafts 8a and disposed inside casing l are intermeshing beveled gears 90 and 8d.

Into an opening 2 of easing l is adapted to be fitted another casing 3,, in the bottom of which is 1 lodged a roll bearing 4 fitted onto the hub 5 of a conical gear wheel provided with two sets of teeth 8, I, and located inside the casing I said set of teeth 8 being drlvingly connected to beveled gear 8c. On the other side of said bottom is arranged -a conical gear wheel 8, the stem-or tail 8 of which is keyed in the hub 8. The wall of the casing 2 remote from said bottom consists in a cover I0 carrying on its inner side a conical set of teeth II co-axial with 'the' wheel 8. In said'cover is centered co-axially with said wheel II, by means of roll bearings I2,-the hollow stem l8 of a member i4 provided outwardly with inclined journal means I! carrying planet pinion means I8 between the teeth 8 and II, which. form sun rolling tracks. Inside the member I4, a spherical bearing surface I8 is machined and located in a cylindri- -cal chamber the inner wall of whichis provided with splines l8. On said bearing is resting a ball 20 held in place by a cover-plate 2| provided with a spherical bearing and secured onto the end of V the planets-carrier I4. The ball 20 is provided on its outer surface with short splines 23 engaging with the'grooves I9, and said ball is further provided co-axially with the planets-carrier with a splined through hole 25 into which engages the similarly splined end of the driving shaft coming from'the engine.

It will be apparent that the assembly just described forms a self-contained and unitary epicyclic-speed multiplying gear. Furthermore the smaller accessory units A1 and A: may be replaced by other units since the openings 2 are standardized.

If the diameters of the wheels 8' and ll be reversed, the ratio will be changed, which may be useful in some cases. If there is no need of a multiplying gear. in the relay, the assembly may be removed as a whole and replaced by another assembly comprising only a gear wheel, such as the double gear wheel 8, I, integral with the ball and socket Joint for the connection with the shaft coming from the engine.

The embodiment of Fig. 2 shows how one may fers from-that of Fig. 1 only in that, instead of carrying planet pinions, the member He carries a set of conical teeth 28, of the same diameter as the wheel 8, and which meshes with the stationary intermediate pinion means 29, also in mesh with said wheel 8, the pinion means 28 being supported in roll bearings 20, secured to the easing in and disposed axially at right angles to the common axis of the wheels 8 and 28.

In this case also the speed may be multipliedor reduced according as the axis of the pinions 28a is inclined on one or the other side in the manner shown in Fig. 2A.

The embodiment of Fig. 3 is similar with that of Fig. 2 by the use of stationary intermediate pinions28c, gearing with the wheels 8c and 28a, but it differs in that through the inside of the stem or tail of the wheel 28c extends an intermediate shaft 38 protruding at one end from the cover IIlc of the casing 30, in which cover it is supported by means of a roll bearing 34, its opposite endbeing centered in a socket 35 provided on the wheel 8c. On that part of said shaft. 33 located between the wheels 80 and 28c is slidably splined a clutch collar 88 having two opposite annular sets of clutching claws 81 adapted to coact with similar sets of claws 88 provided respectively on' the wheels 80 and 280; a pin 40 holds.

the casing I is capped by a cover 44 the bottom of which presents a hole in which is fitted a roll bearing 48 supporting the stem 46 of "a cup 41 having a spherical'seat and on which is screwed another cup 48, provided internally with another spherical seat. The cup 48 is outwardly provided with a stem 49 co-axial with the cup 41 and onwhich is secured the double gear wheel 6, I driving'the box gears. Between the cups 41, 48 is arranged a ball 50 which carries a shaft SI projecting outwardly from the cover 44 through the stem 46. The ball 58, is provided outwardly with short splines 52 in engagement with splines 63 cut inside the cup 48. On the protruding part of the shaft 5| is keyed the stem 55 of a conical gear wheel 86 which is further provided with a central cylindrical cup, 51 for centering the end of the shaft 58 coming from the engine. On a bearing surface of said shaft 58 is keyed a conical gear wheel 58 on the stem of which is fitted a roll bearing other roll bearings Bl are fitted on the stem 85. These roll bearings 60 and 6| are fitted outwardly in recesses of an outer casing 63, which is solely supported thereby, and the rotation 01' which is prevented by a pin 64 fastened to the casing 44 and entering loosely into a perforated lug of said casing 63. In roll bearings 66 fixedly carried in the latter are mounted one or several intermediate pinions gearing with the wheels 56 and 59.

The assembly thus constituted, supported solely by the co-axial Cardan shafts BI and 58, is a floating assembly. This arrangement permits to l I mount a reversing gear without increasing the overall length or, for a given length, without reducing the distance between the cardans.

By including the axis of the intermediate pinion 83. as previously described with respect to Fig. 1, a multiplying or reducing gear of the floating type may likewise be obtained. Instead of a conical wheel transmissionf the assembly may comprise a spur wheel counter shaft parallel with the driving shaft. This would constitute a. multiplying or reducing gear assembly without reversing, since the direction of rotation of the gear box would be the same with or without said assembly.

In Fig. 6, it will be seen that the available space in the cowling 10 containing the engine 'II does not permit of mounting a standard gear box 12 so that its driving shaft will be in alignment with the power take-oil II of the engine. The standard drive head may ,then be substituted with a fitted in said casing casing 14 inside which is mounted a countershaft I5 (Fig. 7) supported in roll bearings I pllng member 11 with the driving shaft I0, the other endof which is connected to the power take-oil II of the engine: a gear wheel I9 keyed on the counter shaft I0. gearswith a pinion 00 secured to a shaft 8| located co-axially with the axis X-X of the gear box and carried in roll bearings 82, fitted in the casing I4, said shaft 8i extending into the casing of the gear "box I2, where it carries the gears for driving the various members of said gear box. The casing 14 may be turned around the axis X-X and locking means, such as studs 83 or the like, are provided for holding it stationary in any one tions, some of which are shown in Fig. 5.

It will be observed that in all said embodiments shown in Figs. 1 to 7, the casing I of the gear box and its opening 2 whatever and that may thus be mounted upon said opening, accordhave received no modification ing to the problems in view.

and carrying the ball coutransmission having a of its angular posiany one of these embodiments In Fig. 8, instead of an angularly adjustable casing I4 is shown a casing 84, which is inter- .changeable therewith and contains a. hollow shaft and'its ball coupling member, arranged to be co-axial with the axis X-X of the gear box. In

order to facilitate this substitution, a coupling 88. of any suitable type, is provided between the shaft 81, which is a permanent part of the gear box, and the shaft ll of the angularly adjustable casing, as well as the shaft of this direct drive casing 84. A similar coupling may obviouslyalso be used on the speed gears, reversing gears, etc.

- In the embodiment shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the

casing 80 of the gear box, which as shown is a very flat casing consisting of a base and a cover, although a casing of any other suitable type'may be used. presents an opening 9| receiving the nose of a starter 92 arranged opposite a clutching claw 93 supported in roll bearings 94 carried in the casing. A toothed wheel 05 keyed on said claw 93 gears with a toothed wheel 98 keyed on the tail 91 of a member 98 protruding out from the casing. and which is the member adapted to be coupled by a ball and socket Joint with the shaft 99 leading to the power take-off I00 of the engine IOI. The starting of the engine is thus effected from thestarter through the medium of the wheels and 08 and the shaft 89. A toothed wheel I02 keyed on the claw 03 drives ,gear trains I03 leading to the various accessories to be driven such as I04, for example.

Fig. 10.shows how is modified by the gear I00 of the type shown in Fig.

Obviously,

the preceding arrangement addition. of a floating reversing J Y the invention in nowise limited 75 gears, an external driving element, and detach-' able means including gear means having a ratio differing from one between said latter accessory element and said external driving element.

2. In combination, a self-contained gear box for carrying and driving accessories on board aircraft. including a casing provided with a plurality of apertures and externally arranged to carry various accessories in register with said apertures, a plurality of gears supported by and enclosed within said casing and operatively connected together to be rotated at the same time, a plurality of accessory elements each in register with. an aperture nected to some of said gearsrespectively to be driven thereby and providing a driving connection through the associated aperture, a further accessory element operatively connected to another of said gears, an external driving connection, and an operative detachable element forming a speed multiplying transmission between said latterv accessory element and said driving connection. I I

3. A self-contained gear-box as in claim 1 wherein the operative connection which has a gear ratio differing from one includes a rotatable planet pinion carrier provided with a conical planet pinion having its axis inclined to a perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the planet carrier. a rotatable conical sun gear wheel in mesh with said pinion and a stationary conical orbit gear. in mesh with saidplanet pinion.

4. The combination of: a self-contained gearwith some of said apertures, a plurality of gears supported by and enclosed within said first casing and operatively connected to be rotated at the same time, an accessory element carried by each of said accessory casings, each of the accessory elements being in register with one of said apertures and operatively connected to one of said gears to be driven thereby and providing a driving connection through the associated aperture, a self-contained unit including a third" 00 and an accessory element carried by said third casing and operatively connected to said gear train to drive the latter. 5. The combination as in claim 4 in which said gear train has a gear ratio differing from one. 6. A self-contained gear-box as in claim 1 wherein the operative connection which has a gear ratio differing from one includes a rotatable pendicular to the axis of rotation of the planet carrier. a conical 'sun gear wheel in mesh with and operatively con sa 1 pinion, a stationary conical orbit including a trunnion provided with an axial bore and by means of which it is journaled in the casing, and a central spherical recess into which opens said axial bore, and wherein said further accessory means includes a splined ball fitted in said recess and in engagement with corresponding splines of the planet carrier.

7. The combination of a self-contained gear box for carrying and driving accessories on sear inmesh with said planet pinion. said planet carrier 8 drivable from the exterior oi the casing, said casins including a detachable further accessory means whole therewith.

portion carrying said and removable as a CHAI 'LLES RAYMOND WABEIGE.

aarisnancas man The iollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number Number UNITED STATES PATENTS I Name Date Vincent Mai-.5 0, 192a Waseiae July 14, 1942 ronn'rdnmm'rs Country 'nate Great Britain Oct.. a; 10s: 

